India is truly a land of events and festivals! Such is the charm and grandeur of theirs that people from all across the world visit India to witness these events and festivals. Be it a Hindu or a Muslim, a Sikh or a Christian, in India there is something for everyone. After all, it is not for nothing that the country is known as the melting pot of all the cultures.

In India, over 100 festivals are celebrated but out of them all, a few are celebrated pan India with much zeal and great fervour.

So, without any ado, we would discuss a few popular festivals in India that you ought to witness, at least once in your lifetime. Here we go!

1. Holi

Known as a festival that is all about colours, Holi is a very popular festival wherein people forget all their grudges and cover each other in different vibrant colours, making way for love and strong bonds. Before the day of the festival, on Holi eve, Holika Dahan takes place which is a bonfire around which people dance and have a whale of a time.

On the day of Holi, people play with dry colours, wet colours, pichkari (water guns), water/colour filled balloons and whatnot. They end their day with some lip-smacking food.

2. Diwali

This is undeniably one of the best events and festivals in India which is celebrated by one and all, no matter what religion, community or caste they belong to. Diwali is observed with much pomp and show wherein earthen lamps and candles are lit, the houses are decorated with lights and Rangoli. Apart from that, friends and families also exchange sweets, dry fruits, and other expensive gifts.

People get in the festive mood by getting all decked up in new ethnic outfits ahead of the evening puja of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha.

3. Janmashtami

Another important religious festival of India, Janmashtami is a beautiful festival to witness, especially when you are on a pilgrimage tour in India in Vrindavan or Mathura. This day marks the birthday of the eighth avatar of Vishnu, Krishna. People, on this day, observe fast and, in the evening, celebrate the birthday pf bal gopal with much pomp and show.

While some do just the evening puja, others cut the cake, dress Krishna up in new clothes as well as seat him in a palanquin, decorate their homes and prepare scrumptious dishes to treat the family.

4. Eid-ul-Fitr

This one is the biggest Muslim festival that is, again, celebrated pan India. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the religious month of Ramzan. People don the best of their outfits on this day. While the morning is dedicated to special community prayer, in the evening people visit their friends and relatives to exchange sweets. Elders give children or those younger to them Eidi which can either be money or gifts.

5. Dussehra

Also known as Vijayadashami, Dussehra is celebrated a day after Navratri, a religious festival of 9 days, concludes. On this day and a few days ahead of this festival, Ramlila takes place which is enacting the popular scenes and stories of Ramayana. This enactment concludes with Ravana Dahan, a ritual wherein the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran, and Meghnath are put on fire.

This festival celebrates the death of Ravana, who was killed by Rama.

6. Independence Day

It is nothing but the celebration of freedom, as it is on this day, in 1947, that India got freedom from the shackles of the British rule. The highlights of this day are tableaus, parades, 21 gunshots, the speech of the Prime Minister from the Red Fort and Indian flag hoisting.

7. Republic Day

Apart from Independence Day, Republic day, one of the noted holidays in India, also evokes the feeling of patriotism in people. For the unversed, 3 years post-independence, in 1950, on this day, the Constitution of India came into being and India became a republic, after being under the British Raj for ages.

This annual event is observed with great pride and much excitement, annually. To celebrate this day, grand parades are held that start from Rashtrapati Bhavan and end at Red Fort, via India Gate.

8. Rath Yatra

Millions of people gather from all over the world everyday, especially in the month of July to see Rath Yatra.

9. Christmas

While this festival is celebrated across India, Christmas is celebrated the best in one of the most popular travel destinations in India, that is, Goa. This day is quite significant in Christianity as it marks the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christmas is so much fun that children and adults are equally excited about this festival.

On this day, families get to do everything together – preparing food, decorating home, the Christmas tree, and whatnot!

Now, that you have all the details about these festivals, experience the same as well as the culture and heritage of India in all its essence during your stay in the country. For all the information on these festivals, events, Indian destinations, and cities, visit Adotrip, a one-stop solution to all your travel queries.

Author Bio: Stella Wilson is an avid travel blogger currently working with Adotrip. She loves to write first-hand accounts of her travels. Apart from writing, her hobbies include reading and travelling. She has travelled extensively in India and her favourite destinations are Jaipur, Goa and Manali.